Sunday, 17 March 2013

How d'ya like them apples?

It's been a funny old week. Last Sunday (Mothers' Day) saw us entertaining the whole family with a massive piece of pork loin (with fennel-flavoured crackling and apple gravy, well Strongbow gravy which is probably about as far away from apples as you can get*). A lovely meal, plenty of American craft beers and a bit of wine and champagne followed by the obligatory round of Trivial Pursuit and before I knew it it was midnight and we were watching Pulp Fiction (Zed's dead baby, Zed's dead). The day before I'd just about managed 20 minutes on the treadmill at 6kph - before you scoff you need to realise just how unfit I am. To put it mildly I thought I might die at the end and briefly hoped for it!

Monday brought freak snow and hail showers and very achy legs but the mid-week session (15 minutes at 6kph) went very easily. I've now put my running playlist together - it lasts 3 hours and I reckon if I can run for all of it then I can do a half-marathon. Sounds easy, doesn't it?

I'm just starting to realise that it's quite tricky putting a training session together whilst working a more-than-full time job. I've heard stories of people getting up at ridiculous o'clock to get their workout in before work and I now appreciate why. Friday's session had to be bumped to Saturday. A repeat of last Saturday's session, you know - the one that nearly killed me. Anyway, I can't believe it was the same me doing it. It was so much easier. Less sweaty. Less breathless. Fewer aches in ankles. Faster recovery. It's almost as if doing regular exercise increases your ability to exercise! If only someone had told me. I clearly need a montage.

This morning I actually ran properly (I'm not sure what I've been doing so far qualifies) - 1 minute running alternating with 1 minute walking. The aim over the next 6 (now 5) weeks is to get me running for 20 minutes without a break. Then I can start the training proper. Rather disappointingly I've actually gained weight (I suspect yesterday's continental lagerathon in front of the festival of sport on TV didn't help). Nottingham Forest won their sixth successive game (I've a feeling the club record is seven), cementing our position of being back where we were before the owners embarked on a bizarre series of decisions about the manager's post; the England rugby union team got their arses handed to them by a committed and more skilful Wales in a frantic 6 Nations decider and the Kiwi test match looks to be wandering to a draw unless we can rip through them quick smart later on today. I may need to get on the rowing machine for some fat burning.

So there you go:
4.5km covered
A bit less sweaty
Still fat (133kg)
Musical highlight: Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order

About Me

I am a somewhat overweight, unfit 40-year-old chap who remembers the time when he could run a half-marathon (quite a few years ago) and has foolishly agreed to run the 2014 Great North Run for Yorkshire Cancer Research. In order to this I reckon I need to shed about 40 kilos. Oh.. and become able to run more than a kilometre without getting chest pain! Please visit www.justgiving.com/fatrich to donate.